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Guide Dogs' Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

This statement sets out the actions that Guide Dogs is taking to ensure the organisation complies with the provisions of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 ("the Act"). This statement relates to actions and activities during 2019.

The Organisation and Supply Chains

Guide Dogs is a registered charity in England, Wales and Scotland. The organisation provides mobility and freedom to blind and partially sighted people, and campaigns for the rights of people with visual impairment.

Guide Dogs pays at least the National Living Wage to all its employees and complies with the Working Time Regulations (1998). We conduct the proper recruitment checks on our staff to ensure they have the right to work in the UK and that their salary is paid directly into each individual's own bank account.

Guide Dogs wants to ensure its business and supply chains are free from slavery and human trafficking. To achieve this, it has:

A modern slavery and human trafficking guidance document

A process for assessing risk in its supply chain

A tendering process designed to exclude new suppliers who might contravene the Act

An audit questionnaire for all appropriate suppliers contracting with Guide Dogs

An audit questionnaire for all appropriate suppliers donating through the sale of their products to Guide Dogs

Implemented measures which work towards ensuring that contracts for our suppliers are in place containing obligations to comply with the Act, and to procure compliance down the supply chain

Should Guide Dogs identify any breach of the Act by a supplier, it will assess and investigate the breach and decide upon the best course of action to take. Any action from the outcome of the assessment is the responsibility of the supplier.

Responsibility

The Executive Directors are responsible for ensuring that Guide Dogs complies with the Act. In doing this it is supported by in-house legal, human resources and procurement expertise.

Relevant policies

The organisation operates the following policies that describe its approach to the identification of modern slavery risks and steps to be taken to prevent slavery and human trafficking in its operations:

Whistleblowing policy

Ethical statements

Volunteering Agreement and Policy

Procurement Policy, including Modern Slavery Guidance

Recruitment Policy

All staff have access to relevant policies.

The organisation has raised awareness of modern slavery issues and associated risks by circulating a series of communications to staff during 2016 and 2017 and publishing this statement. Further communications are planned for 2019.

Useful links

Want to find out more about Guide Dogs and sight loss? Here are other helpful links...

Guide Dogs is a working name of The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. Registered Office: Hillfields, Burghfield Common, Reading, Berkshire RG7 3YG. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (291646) and a charity registered in England and Wales (209617) and Scotland (SCO38979)